KIND Snacks Celebrates Youth and Art With Basel Pop-Up

Among the glitz and glamour notoriously associated with Miami Art Week comes a different kind of cafe. Featuring live music, spoken word performances, and a gallery with works created by South Florida's youth community, the KIND Café is a whole other experience. The exclusive Basel-only pop-up celebrates the fusion of youth, art, and education all while encouraging the community to #ichooseart.

"Last year was our first year doing something like this," says Melissa Ader, Miami marketing manager for KIND healthy snacks. "It was such a great experience showcasing the kids and have their art hung gallery style and having them perform live."

The event will be held inside a massive tented space in Midtown, with several interactive stations inside. With KIND's café concept, organizers want to make art accessible to all, while incorporating the choice to live a kinder, healthier, and more positive life. "These programs are so special in shaping happier kids and creating a more kind world," Ader says. "There's nothing more rewarding than seeing the kids work so hard and then getting to showcase it to the community."

There will be eats and drinks available too, as a KIND Café wouldn't be complete without a selection of KIND bars. The pop-up offers a complimentary “Bar Bar” where guests can pair their favorite snack bar with craft beer, coffee, cheese and other selections.

Besides youth-centered gallery pieces, live performances, and snacks, there will be a hands-on community mural for visitors to interact. "We wanted to create a hands-on opportunity with a twist," Ader says. "There will be post-it notes, and guests can write their vision and commitment to a kinder world, and place it on the grid. It's a paint-by-numbers concept, but with post-it notes instead.

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"The heart and the passion the kids and organizations put in is outstanding," she says. "The main driving force behind the event is to create a platform where we can truly showcase kids."

KIND is once again partnering with the Motivational Edge and Guitars Over Guns, along with new additions O, Miami’s poetry program and Arts For Learning. The showcase also welcomes impromptu performances with an open mic, inviting any young artist to freely express themselves before the audience. Gallery pieces will be for sale and all proceeds will benefit the nonprofit the student artist is affiliated with.

"Last year was very much a structured showcase," she says. "We tried to shift our program this year to something bite-size. Consider our pop-up as something you can experience on your own. You can come in and quickly engage with the Bar Bar or the Post-It mural, and still accommodate the rest of your evening."

The KIND Café: an #ichooseart experience The event will be held Saturday, December 5 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. located at 82 NE 29th St., Miami. The KIND Café is free and open to guests of all ages. For more information and to RSVP, visit kindsnacks.com/ichooseart.

Clarissa Buch is a reporter and food critic who has covered Miami for more than half a decade. Her work focuses on food and culture (and food culture).